Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
With eight games remaining in the regular season, DeMarre Carroll is hoping to make his return to the court before the postseason begins. After a week of speculation about his recovery, Carroll wanted to speak with the media prior to Toronto’s game against the Atlanta Hawks to provide an update on his health.
“I understand there’s been a lot of speculation, a lot of assumptions with what’s going on with my knee,” Carroll said. “The matter of fact is, basically Masai [Ujiri], Dr. Paul Marks, Alex [McKechnie], my agent, Mark Bartelstein, and myself have been working closely trying to figure out what the best time is for me to come back. The Raptors have been a good job of allowing me that time. I see reports where it says I’m out. That’s all speculating.”
Carroll said he isn’t frustrated with what has been written, but wanted to clear the air. After having surgery on Jan. 6, and then following his rehab plan, Carroll noticed intermittent swelling in his knee when he began participating in four-on-four sessions. He and McKechnie, the Raptors director of sports science, sought opinions from several high-profile doctors to ensure all was okay and that he could proceed with working toward his return.
“We’ve done a world tour basically,” Carroll joked. “We’ve seen the top doctors in the United States. They said it’s a go. I think I’m going to start really ramping it up in the next couple of days. Hopefully I’ll be back.”
After nearly three months away from game action, Carroll knows he will need time to get back to game shape. Still, he’s confident he’ll be able to help the team when he returns.
“I can go out there and play defence, I don't even have to make a shot,” he said. “I can impact the game defensively for this team and don't have to take a shot. You have other guys, guys who we depend on to score like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. I've just got to go out there and play defence. After playing in the Eastern Conference Final with Atlanta I understand what it takes and what role I need to play.”